


the wait.

by f0rt1ss1m0



Series: Sing for Her [3]
Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Established Relationship, Everyone Is Good AU, F/F, Futurefic, Hurt/Comfort, Oneshot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-03
Updated: 2018-03-03
Packaged: 2019-03-26 08:24:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,414
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13853829
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/f0rt1ss1m0/pseuds/f0rt1ss1m0
Summary: Peridot has not reformed for nine weeks, five days, and thirteen hours.-Experimental oneshot based on two Tumblr prompts, "Kiss of Relief" and "Morning Kiss", rolled into one.





	the wait.

"Peridot. Peeeeeridot. C'mon, Peri, you can't stay in there forever."

The words were getting old. She'd said them a million times, and all the variations on them, and that wasn't an exaggeration, either. Amethyst had been the main occupant of the couch for the past, well, stars knew how long, lying on her stomach and staring droopy-eyed at the dormant green gem on the silken pillow. She had barely moved. Barely eaten. But she couldn't bring herself to care.

The door creaked open and Steven walked in, holding a slushie. "Hey, Amethyst," he said, smiling weakly. "How's she doing?"

"Dead as ever," Amethyst replied flatly. She never took her eyes off Peridot's gem.

"Oh." Steven went quiet for a second. "How long has it been?"

"Three weeks, two days, and sixteen hours."

A second, smaller, "oh." Then, "I'm sure Peridot wouldn't want you just moping around like this. Maybe...you should eat something? I got a slushie for you."

Only partly interested, Amethyst glanced over. "Flavor?"

"Green apple."

She smashed her face into the couch cushion. "No."

"Oh," said Steven a third time. "Okay, then. Well...good luck."

"Mmm."

He left. Amethyst pushed her head up, rubbed her eyes, and kept staring at the little green gem.

.

"She doesn't seem to be suffering from physical damage," said Squaridot, rotating Peridot's gem in her clinical, mechanical fingers. She stroked her chin. "I would have to do a multiwave radiation scan in order to determine the level of internal damage, if any."

Squaridot spoke so quickly about boring things that Amethyst didn't hear most of it, and also because she was lying on her side with her ear mashed up against the couch cushion. "Yeah?" Amethyst murmured.

"Affirmative." Carefully, Squaridot set Peridot's gem back on the pillow and opened a screen. "But I would wait much longer before performing such a risky operation. Premature exposure to gamma radiation may discourage her from emerging if there does happen to be no problem at all."

"Okay," said Amethyst flatly. She managed enough energy to lift her arm and touch Peridot's gem. Smooth. Cold.

Squaridot was watching her, and she could feel it.

"How long ago was her form neutralized?"

"Five weeks, six days, three hours." The numbers came as if automatic. Even Squaridot seemed surprised.

"Understood." She closed her screen. "Well, if it is of any comfort, peridots are commonly very slow at reforming; we tend to overthink our reformations, especially when doing something new. And then it is only slightly unusual to find a defective unit who dissipates her form once and never reforms at all."

The cold silence was enough to tell even Squaridot that the last bit of information was probably not necessary.

"You know, Square," said Amethyst wearily, draping on the sarcasm, "you're a real ray of sunshine."

.

"There has to be something we can do," Jasper whispered to the other gems gathered in the kitchen. Which wasn't saying much, as her whisper sounded like someone had tossed a handful of gravel in the laundry machines, and Amethyst could clearly hear her from the couch. "Steven's done all he can. We've sat and we've waited. And nothing's changed."

"All will work out with time," said Garnet softly.

"You keep saying that," Jasper growled back, "and yet! She is still! Inside of her gem!"

"I hate to say it, but I agree with Jasper," Lapis put in. "It's not just something we can brush off. It really feels like something is wrong."

Jasper nodded. "And not just with Peridot. Amethyst hasn't smiled in weeks."

"Now, don't exaggerate, Jasper. I'm sure it hasn't been WEEKS," said Pearl, but her tone was slightly doubtful.

"Why don't we just test that?" Jasper challenged her, raising an eyebrow coolly. "Hey, Amethyst."

Amethyst had been listening to it all, but somehow couldn't bring herself to respond. She just didn't want to.

"Amethyst?"

Peridot's gem had little shimmering specks in it, and six delicate facets along the edges. Amethyst had grown so familiar with the sparkles that she felt like she could count them. She sighed.

"AMETHYST."

The voice boomed into her ear, and reflexively she jumped. Jasper's orange-and-red face was inches from hers. "Amethyst, how long has Peridot been in there?" asked Jasper, much softer this time.

For a fuzzy, confused second, Amethyst looked between Jasper and the dormant Peridot. Then she sank back onto the couch, sighing. "Nine weeks. Five days. Thirteen hours."

"Oh," said Pearl.

"Yeah," said Jasper, standing up and returning to the kitchen.

Pearl inhaled slowly. "Perhaps we should try contacting...oh, what's her name, the other peridot? Steven gave her a funny name."

"Squaridot," said Lapis and Garnet in tandem.

"Right. She mentioned a type of damage scanner. I don't want to think that there's something...something wrong with Peridot, but..." Pearl trailed off.

"But something's really wrong," Amethyst finished. Her voice was small, and cracked from disuse.

The other gems went quiet. Slowly, they disbanded, Garnet slipping inside her room, Jasper, Lapis, and Pearl heading outside. The house was left as silent and still as the little green gem in front of Amethyst, and for the millionth time in nine weeks, Amethyst felt very tired and very alone.

She fell asleep, a lock of her hair falling over Peridot's gem.

.

"Amethyst...Aaaaamethyst. Wake up, my sweet."

Amethyst groaned. A soft, small hand caressed her cheek, and she automatically reached up to touch it in response. Then a set of lips pressed against her forehead. Her cheeks. The corner of her own lips. Slowly, Amethyst cracked open her eyes and stretched.

Peridot was curled up in her arms, her face beaming.

"Mornin'," Amethyst croaked, inadvertently smiling back. "Mmm...c'mere."

"Oh, stars, Amethyst, your morning breath is vile," Peridot protested, but still eagerly leaned in for the kiss. Peridot's soft and thin lips met Amethyst's chapped and plump ones, and Amethyst could taste her own morning breath just as well as Peridot could, and it was far from perfect but it was nice. Amethyst nearly fell asleep again like that, locked with Peridot in a kiss, her hands in Peridot's scruffy blond hair, their legs tangled together on the couch. Sighing happily, she rested her head back down and snuggled closer to Peridot, her hand reflexively drifting back up to the silken pillow above her head.

Then her hand met nothing but fabric and it hit her for the first time.

_Peridot was back._

Her reaction was so violent that she almost flung Peridot off the couch, but she also reached out to her and grabbed her thin shoulders, pulling her upright. "Peridot?!" Amethyst nearly yelped. She could barely believe her eyes. Here Peridot was, bright and solid and real, with the same beautiful smile and sparkling eyes as always. Her lime cheeks were flushed blue even under her visor. She hadn't changed much — her hair was scruffier and looser than before; her leotard was the same except stars in place of each of the diamonds. The only new addition was a pair of sunshine-yellow sneakers.

"This is what you took so long reforming?!" Amethyst nearly yelled.

Peridot shrunk back. "I...I just wanted it to be good. Do you...like it?"

"LIKE it?! Okay, I love it, but — what the heck, Per, I thought you DIED!"

Overwhelmed in emotions, Amethyst crushed Peridot in a hug. She didn't cry very often, but her eyes stung as she buried her face in Peridot's shoulder and she knew she was close. And then all at once it overcame her. She kissed Peridot hard and tight, holding her face between her hands. She touched her gem, her lips, her hair, over and over and over even as Peridot, thoroughly confused, asked what all the fuss was about.

"Jeez, Peri," Amethyst choked, burying her face in Peridot's shoulder again. "D...don't do that to me, God damn it..."

"Amethyst, I was just reforming, I take a while..." Peridot started, but then Amethyst felt a hitch in her breath as she froze. "Wait."

Pulling away from Amethyst, she ran to the fridge and stared at the calendar before running back to Amethyst and grabbing her shoulders.

"Amethyst. Exactly how long was I in there?" Her eyes were nearly the size of dinnerplates.

Suddenly, despite the tears running down her face, Amethyst couldn't help but snort. That was her Peridot. Forgetful, neurotic, and adorable. Overjoyed, Amethyst kissed her again, holding her like she would never let her go.

"Too long," she laughed. 


End file.
